Family Secrets and the Black Robe Pathseekers Society (Follow-up Reading Request)

In a luxurious room, bright lights flickered.

Three people sat around a not-so-large round table.

Besides Chen Mu and William, Earl Arthur was also seated at the round table.

His right hand tapped the tabletop deliberately, producing a rhythmic sound.

The other attendants and Maids had already been dismissed. At this moment, the vast room contained only the three of them.

"The Golden Lion Family has developed within the kingdom for hundreds of years. Naturally, it cannot have no enemies, but I cannot yet determine which family fits the conditions you described."

Earl Arthur frowned slightly, and there was a trace of confusion in his voice.

"However, someone is already investigating. I believe news will return soon. Vieri, stay in the Manor during this time and do not go out again. This matter may not be so simple."

The tapping stopped, and Earl Arthur spoke softly.

When he had first heard the news William and Chen Mu had brought back, Arthur had inevitably felt both shock and rage.

But after calming down, he knew this matter was not as simple as William and Chen Mu imagined.

He knew some secrets.

He suspected this matter was likely connected to some of the secrets he knew.

But he was not entirely certain either. After all, no conclusion could be drawn before the matter was investigated.

Thus, the moment he learned of the news, he had already sent someone to investigate.

He had not mentioned the man's name, but Chen Mu knew who it was: the other of the only two Grand Knights under his father's command.

Hearing his father's words, Chen Mu merely nodded.

He knew this was no longer something he could handle. He could hear the gravity in Earl Arthur's tone.

This matter was no longer aimed at him alone. It was clearly directed at the Golden Lion Family.

And Chen Mu was the opening the person behind it wanted to pry open.

Just imagine—if Chen Mu had truly been intercepted and killed this time, then his father, Earl Arthur, would certainly have gone mad.

Chen Mu did not know exactly what Earl Arthur would have done, but it was surely what the person behind the scenes wanted to see.

The next few days were relatively peaceful. Earl Arthur did not come to Chen Mu to tell him anything.

It was as if the matter had never happened, but Chen Mu knew things were definitely not as calm as they appeared.

On the contrary, Chen Mu felt it was somewhat like the calm before a storm.

In fact, the fact that no one had come to disturb him these past few days already revealed the problem.

William seemed to have vanished. Chen Mu had not seen any trace of William in the Manor these past few days.

No one coming to see him did not mean there was no problem. On the contrary, that was precisely a sign that there was one.

However, Chen Mu did not display excessive curiosity or try to investigate anything.

After all, within the Golden Lion Family, if his father did not want him to receive certain information, then asking anyone would be useless.

At this moment, Chen Mu could do nothing. Even if he revealed the strength of a Formal Knight, he still could not do anything.

He was still too weak. A Formal Knight was very strong, but compared to an entire family, he was incomparably insignificant.

What was more, this world had Wizards.

In a Wizard's eyes, let alone a Formal Knight, what difference was there between a Grand Knight and a slightly larger ant?

But fortunately, he had the Simulator! In his room, Chen Mu held a book in his hands, but his attention was not on the book.

His attention was on the blue screen floating before his eyes.

Name: Vieri Wesley (Chen Mu)

Spirit: 1.5

Physique: 3.6

Realm: Formal Knight

Wizardry: None

Breathing Technique: Golden Lion Breathing Method (Proficient 82/800)

Knight Skills: Lionheart Slash (Proficient 61/800), Basic Riding (Proficient 128/800), Basic Archery (Proficient 630/800), Basic Swordsmanship (Mastery 524/1600), Basic Combat (Mastery 115/1600).

Simulations: 1

The number "1" was prominently displayed in the Simulations field.

Chen Mu did not know whether this simulation would answer some of his doubts, but he had no intention of saving up simulations.

Perhaps one day in the future, he would save several simulations and use them all at once, but that day would definitely not be today.

When Chen Mu focused his mind on the Simulations field—

A string of Black Text appeared as usual.

Begin Life Simulation?

Chen Mu did not hesitate and answered yes in his heart.

The next moment, the string of Black Text disappeared.

A large block of Black Text representing this simulation appeared.

Life Simulation activated. Due to the Simulator's low version, only Text Simulation is supported.

Age seventeen: You encountered a plot at the Golden Lion Arena, then faced an interception and assassination attempt on your way back. After your father, Earl Arthur, learned of this, he was enraged and began investigating. This investigation uncovered a family secret, but your father did not tell you what the secret was.

Age eighteen: You did not participate in this year's Hunting Day, because you faced multiple assassination attempts during the year, and your father did not wish to place you in danger.

Seeing this, Chen Mu felt a little grave. This simulation was completely different from the previous ones.

In his previous simulations, Chen Mu had never suffered an assassination attempt. Yet in this simulation, multiple attempts had been made on his life in just a single year.

Chen Mu suppressed the gravity in his heart and continued reading.

Age nineteen: You had grown accustomed to the repeated assassination attempts. You began practicing the Breathing Technique and Knight skills within the Manor, but the results were minimal. Still, you did not give up.

Age twenty: Your father, Earl Arthur, accidentally discovered that you had activated a Life Seed. Shocked, he decided to tell you the secret. Behind the conspiracy against the Golden Lion Family was an organization known as the Black Robe Pathseekers Society, and one of the organization's founders had once been a member of the Golden Lion Family.

Secret: The Black Robe Pathseekers Society was a Black Wizard organization in the Winter Kingdom. The seven people who founded it came from different families within the Winter Kingdom. Their respective families had "gifted" them to a Formal Wizard as test subjects. The seven survivors eventually founded the Black Robe Pathseekers Society.

Chen Mu's pupils contracted when he saw this. He was not shocked by the secret itself, but by the fact that the Simulator listed certain information separately in addition to simulating his life.

This had never happened in the previous Three Simulations.

Age twenty-one: Simply practicing the Breathing Technique was too slow a way to increase your strength. You began taking Golden Lion Secret Medicine to assist your Breathing Technique training. Though the speed improved somewhat, it was still slow, so you began attempting to practice true Knight Skills.

Age twenty-two: You gained entry into the Knight Skills Armor Piercing Slash and Starfire Arrow. Your Breathing Technique also advanced further, and the speed at which you improved your Life Seed increased somewhat.

Age twenty-three: Under the threat of the Black Robe Pathseekers Society, your father, Earl Arthur, was unwilling to let you wander the kingdom. He therefore carved out a small territory for you within the Far East Territory, and you became a lord.

Age twenty-five: You continuously honed your Knight Skills and practiced the Breathing Technique. Though your training speed was as slow as a crawling turtle, you never considered giving up.

Age twenty-six: You died. You died in a dream, killed by wizardry.

Simulation End. Please choose your reward!

Retain Realm or Retain Spell

Seeing the final line of Black Text, Chen Mu was somewhat stunned.

He had not expected to die so abruptly in this simulation.

This was the first time he had died so early in a simulation. In the previous simulations, he had lived to at least thirty-two.

His strength in this simulation was greater than before, yet he had lived the shortest life instead.

If the Black Robe Pathseekers Society had a method to kill him in his dreams, then how could he have lived to twenty-six? Though Chen Mu had some doubts, he did not question the authenticity of the simulation.

Then it was obvious that before Chen Mu turned twenty-six, the Black Robe Pathseekers Society did not possess the means to kill him in his dreams.

Moreover, the Black Robe Pathseekers Society was, after all, a Wizard organization. Why did it only dare to resort to underhanded tricks like assassination?

Chen Mu suspected that either the Black Robe Pathseekers Society merely had an impressive name and was putting on an air of mystery.

Or perhaps it was not the organization itself that wanted to deal with Chen Mu—or rather, the Golden Lion Family—but one person within the organization who wanted to deal with the Golden Lion Family.

And that person within the organization had limited means as well. Otherwise, would that not be far too disgraceful for a Wizard organization?

"Retain Spell."

Without thinking further, Chen Mu made his choice inwardly.

The next moment, memories surged forth. Chen Mu gently closed his eyes and began receiving the new memories that had just flooded into the river of his mind.